1965-1968 Plymouth Fury

For the 1967 Plymouth Fury, the company reshaped the sheet metal that had resurrected its full-size cars by relaxing the straight lines to form sensuous curves. Ads proclaiming that "Plymouth is out to win you over this year" were likely aimed at Pontiac buyers, as well as Ford and Chevy fans. Certainly, the new Fury line looked more upscale and was deliberately equipped to woo a few buyers from the middle-price range.

The new styling featured prominent front and rear fender lines. The former emerged from a gentle crease at the base of the windshield, then fanned up to a height just level with the hood, and finally down gently to meet the headlight hoods. The rear fender kicked up stylishly just before the rear roof pillar and sloped gracefully toward the taillights. All this resulted in a smoother-looking Fury.

The most important styling developments were seen in the new rooflines. Though pillared sedans retained the original 1965 roof, hardtops received beautiful new treatments. The old veed formal hardtop style used on the coupes was replaced by a more conventional rear pillar. The four-door hardtops, perhaps the best looking of the 1967s, featured a semi-private formal rear window to enhance the "elegant" look then in vogue.

Also new was the "Fast Top," a two-door hardtop body style used on the VIP and Sport Fury. It featured a semi-fastback profile with formal triangular "C" pillars that provided privacy for rear-seat passengers (and a big blind spot for drivers trying to back up). A stylish addition, it was offered along with the conventional hardtop, creating the illusion of an expanded model lineup.

An excellent new feature was flow-through ventilation. A grille just below the rear window could be opened and a fan activated to pull fresh air from the front of the car through the rear. This system was quiet, helped clear windows, and was a decided plus in maintaining interior comfort as it changed the interior air four times each minute.

Elegant upholstery continued as a VIP hallmark, leather being a new option. A greater variety of interior fabrics, styles, and colors also appeared, as well as contrasting body accent stripes and a handsome brushed aluminum full-length body molding at wheel hub height. Overall, the 1967 VIP was enough to make a Lincoln blush.

The Fury dashboard was new, too, exchanging its horizontal motif for a more driver-oriented setup, which Plymouth called "Safe/Flite" instrumentation. Toggle and roller-type switches were used everywhere. Despite more use of bright trim, the dashboard retained excellent readability. Even the ashtray was lighted for easier access at night.

Plymouth bragged that the Fury III came with the biggest standard V-8 in its field, the 318 rated at 230 horsepower. It also pointed out that the new Fury could be equipped with such wonders as an Eight Track Stereo with four speakers, front disc brakes, rear window defogger, Tilt-a-Scope steering wheel, and headrests. Plymouth dazzled its customers by offering three different kinds of wheel covers, each very handsome, or chrome road wheels. And if all this didn't work, the traditional (since 1963) five-year, 50,000-mile engine and drivetrain warranty helped snare many a customer.

Perplexingly, Plymouth output fell a bit behind the 1966 total to 638,075 units. Though Plymouth hung on to fourth place, it came in 145,481 units behind Pontiac. Why isn't exactly clear. Perhaps those who had bought 1965 and 1966 Furys were not willing to trade them in on another car, no matter how appealing the new ones might be.